


Forget to Forget

by martinisandart



Category: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV 2018)
Genre: Dreams, Drinking, F/F, I Love You, Winter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-02-28
Packaged: 2019-10-14 18:09:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 16,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17513402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/martinisandart/pseuds/martinisandart
Summary: Zelda Spellman isn’t stupid, why, she’s far from it. Perfectly dressed, a wonderful family, and her life as put together as possible. Enter Mary Wardwell. Tight dresses, volume filled hair, and more secrets than anyone could ever count. There’s only so many things, so many differences one can hide, but with wine and magic, it’s easier to spill than hold in, and it’s easier to kiss to forget. Until, that is, you forget to forget.





	1. Snowfall’s cigarettes

The snow fell softly, lazily outside, and tree branches waved their slender limbs while a soft breeze swept through Greendale, covering everything in a pleasant blanket of white snow. The Spellman household and mortuary was surprisingly silent for a Sunday afternoon. Sabrina was out at the movies with her beau, Harvey, and Ambrose was somewhere... satan knows where, he’d barely been home at all since the lift of his house arrest. Hilda too was out, busy at her new bookish job in the town centre and the house lay silent, save for one witch.

Zelda Spellman sat alone in the house’s parlor; Russian newspaper in her lap, hot tea by her side, and like habit, a cigarette perched on a gilt holder and set between her soft pink lips. With each drag she took, she exhaled gently, puffing little clouds of smoke out into the room and contemplating how her mischievous niece was faring in her new half mortal, half witch life. Even though Zelda herself wasn’t the biggest fan of mortals, she did admit one thing to herself: Sabrina was doing frightfully well to balance herself, and that Diana would have been proud to see her daughter raised quite so wonderfully. With a twist of her wrist, Zelda put out her cigarette and unfolded herself from the couch, taking a quick glance at the clock and gasping.   
“How in satan’s name is it already 4:30!?” She cursed in annoyance; soon, Hilda and the rest of her wayward family would return home, and Lilith knows who else they would bring in tow! Probably that awful civics teacher of Sabrina’s, she thought to herself as she flicked through a recipe book for inspiration. Wardell? Warell? Ah yes. Wardwell. 

Zelda shook her head. That woman was too perfect for her own good, too proper and well dressed, almost scandalous. She probably put more effort into applying her makeup than she did teaching the appropriate coursework. Zelda laughed softly to herself, and began to cook a simple stew for whoever would be joining her. Cooking was her irritating younger sister’s forté, yet, she knew it would be somewhat impressive at least, if Hilda was to come home to a home that smelt of freshly prepared food. 

Once all was ready, Zee found herself cleaning the kitchen, and letting herself be a homebody for once in her life. It was therapeutic, calming almost, and for the first time in her life, she felt almost soothed, and as she began to slip into the meaningless thoughts that come with cleaning, her utopian silence was broken by the sound of the doorbell ringing. She threw up her hands in annoyance, and quickly fixed her hair as she went to the door, as to somewhat compose herself.  
“For satan’s sake Hilda!” She exclaimed as she tugged the door open,  
“Can’t you ever remember your damned keys!?” Her anger directed at her sister was short lived however, as the woman at the door was not her sister, but that sickening schoolteacher of her niece’s.   
“I would remember my key, if I happened to have one, ms Spellman...” she quipped back, smiling that honey sweet smile of hers,  
“Yet I don’t have one, and I believe your dear Sabrina asked me over for dinner...”

Zelda sighed audibly. Of course, Sabrina would do this again and not tell her, why, it was at least a biweekly occurrence now!   
“I suppose I should ask you to come in then.” She said aloofly, taking in the borderline inappropriate jacket that Mary Wardwell was wearing,  
“Why you wear such thin coats I’ll never know!”   
She opened the door a little wider, and allowed the other woman inside, taking her coat politely, and hanging it before returning into the kitchen. Wardwell followed her closely, like a lost puppy, and after a while of watching the ginger bustle around, spoke up.   
“I don’t suppose you’d care to offer me a drink then?” She said, the words rolling off her shining red lips, and Zelda turned to face her in annoyance.   
“I don’t know.” She said cooly,   
“You come here so often now, I half expect you to just walk in the door without knocking and find the drinks cabinet yourself!”   
It was at this point, she actually stopped and looked at what Mary was wearing, drinking in the tight dress... tight on the hips with a low neckline, showing her... ample chest, one gleaming red ruby at her throat matching her lipstick, and her hair full of volume and secrets.   
“You know ms Spellman.” Said Mary, and Zelda was bought back to the unfortunate reality,  
“Maybe I’m politer than I might seem...” she got up and poured herself a glass of the Spellman’s better wine, carefully taking a sip before placing it on the side. Zelda nearly laughed. The audacity of this woman was astounding still, and no matter how delicious she may or may not look, she was still somewhat rude… To all of them.

With a snap of Wardwell’s fingers, a glass of smooth, amber brandy was in Zelda’s hand, causing her to raise an eyebrow; an almost innocent gesture of questioning. Ms Wardwell laughed. “You really didn’t think I noticed how much of that you drank whenever I was here?” She said, her voice sugary sweet,  
“Do try and tell me what ails you so highly when I exist in close proximity to you?” She leant down onto the countertop, and rested one hand under her chin, causing Zelda to bite her lip, and try to ignore the milky skin of the other witch that was now on display.   
“I just find you... tiring, Ms Wardwell. That’s all.” Said Zelda, gazing at the grandfather clock on the wall, the snow out the window, anything to stop her eye from wandering anywhere near the other witch’s body. Mary looked Zelda in the eye, a mix of confusion and amusement crossing her delicate features.   
“You have no idea how tiresome I can be...” she teased, playing with a stray lock of dark hair that had fallen into her eyes.   
“By the way, you’ve got flour all over you... which I can fix if you need me to...” Her icy blue eyes glimmered and Zelda felt the air go static around her, so similar to that of the feeling when she cast a spell, that she near gasped.   
“No need!” She exclaimed in a flustered manner,   
“I’ll go change- everyone will be back soon anyway, and then we can eat dinner at my halfway house for wayward witches and excommunicatees!” Mary pouted halfheartely, and Zelda went to the base of the stairs.   
“Don’t break anything while I’m gone.” She muttered bitterly, and Mary sighed, going over to sit on the couch. As she sat in a neat cross legged manner, Zelda couldn’t help but steal a glance at how her dress had ridden up slightly, and a slight part of her pale thighs was exposed.   
“I won’t break anything.” Drawled Mary,   
“Lilith’s honor.”

By the time Zelda came downstairs from changing, everyone had arrived home, and her nephew Ambrose looked her up and down as she re-entered the kitchen.   
“Damn auntie!” He exclaimed with a look of pure bemusement on his face,  
“Who’re you trying to impress?!”   
Zelda scowled and pulled at her neckline in a self-conscious manner, trying her level best not to blush.   
“No one!” She muttered with a lilt of anger in her voice, glancing over at where Mary was sat on the couch, talking with her niece.   
“For satan’s sake, mind your own business!”  
Hilda began to serve the food, and looked at Zelda with a foolish smile on her face. Clearly, thought Zelda, things were going well with Cee- she hadn’t seen her sister this happy in almost years, maybe even a decade or two.   
“You look great, love!” Hilda said, smiling all the while, and a little laugher in the undertones of her voice,  
“Sabrina, look at your auntie Zee, doesn’t she look just fab!?”   
At that point, both Sabrina and Ms Wardwell stood, and Zelda felt those heavy, blue eyes pass over her, stopping momentarily at her neckline, and then stealing a fleeting glance at her lips.   
“I don’t know about Sabrina, Ms Spellman...” trickled Mary in her overly sweet voice,   
“But I thunk you look absolutely divine...” her voice trailed off, and Sabrina cut in as she sat down at the table, taking the seat across from her aunt.   
“You really do look utterly wonderful, auntie!” She gushed, and Zelda smiled in a fulfilled manner. Oh to be the center of attention for once, it was delicious; that was, until Ms Wardwell filled the seat next to her, and their knees brushed.   
“Thanks awfully for dinner...” she said, looking around the table, and smiling at each one of the Spellmans individually,  
“You’re far too kind, especially you, Ms Spellman.” She glanced at Zelda, who almost laughed.  
“As Sabrina’s favorite teacher” she said,  
“I believe you’re somewhat entitled, and we owe you, but please, call me Zelda... Ms Spellman is far too formal!”  
Ms Wardwell cracked a slight smile, and stole a glimpse at Zelda’s neckline again as she sipped her wine.   
“Call me Mary.”

Within an hour, dinner was over, and with Sabrina and Ambrose doing Satan knows what, Zelda once more found herself alone in the kitchen, absent mindedly sipping brandy, and smoking yet another cigarette. Soft clouds of smoke curled lazily in the air, and in all of a second, the smoke turned into tiny stars. Zelda spun on her heel.  
“You know, Mary.” She spat,  
“If there were one part of my life I wouldn’t expect you to meddle in, it wouldn’t be my smoking habits, hell forbid!”   
Mary smiled, and pointed to the gilt case on the counter.  
“You don’t mind if I...”  
Zelda sighed loudly.   
“I do mind, but I don’t suppose you’ll take no for an answer.” She threw a cigarette in Mary’s general direction, and went back to her brandy, only to be interrupted again with a little magic crackling through the air. She turned around in a near fit of annoyance, just to become silent, and awestruck by Mary’s seemingly beautiful smoke art of... her!?  
Zelda wafted her hand through the air to disperse the image, and glared at Mary, glared into those icy blue eyes that seemed to captivate everyone just so, setting off her milky skin to perfection.  
“This is why I find you tiring.” She snapped at Ms Wardwell,  
“It’s one thing to take my cigarette, yet it’s another to create... whatever that was, behind my back!”   
Mary avoided Zelda’s eye contact, and her usually perfect façade fell a little softer.   
“It’snotmyfaultyoulookdivine.” She mumbled, suddenly her usual class and flair were gone.  
“Oh, speak up!” Zelda exclaimed, her facial expression one of annoyance and fleeting pain,  
“If you can barge into my house uninvited, enchant my family, and drink all my liquor, you can most certainly tell me what you said!”   
Mary’s eyes set ablaze with hellfire, and she grabbed her bag off of the seat where she had placed it earlier.   
“I don’t know, Spellman.” She hissed,   
“It’s not at all like your family seem to love me, care about me, favor me, why, you’re not the only matriarchal figure this home has!” She stormed to the door, her dark hair flying out behind her, and dress flowing in her wake.  
“And it is NOT my fault that you look divine!” With that, she opened, and then consequently slammed the door, leaving into the heavy snow, and letting a confused Zelda Spellman watch her go.


	2. Blue Orbed Mirrors

“Well.” said Zelda, leaning against the doorframe and watching the heavy snow fill in the angry footsteps from moments before.  
“That’s that.” There was only so much you could do to please some people, yet with others- there was just no pleasing, which made her angry, yet didn’t cause the layer of guilt that was starting to settle heavily into her chest. She walked away from the front door, and poured herself yet another glass of brandy, remembering one of the few things her idiot of a father had told her. Drinking was always going to be there. It wasn’t a problem, and it wasn’t a solution, yet it was something to dull the pain with.  
   
She sipped the liquor half-heartedly, and walked to the foot of the stairs, gently clicking out the candles as she went, their dim glow suddenly diminished, and the stairwell was plunged into darkness. Zelda sighed softly, and entered into the near empty bedroom which she used to share with her sister. The single bed lay cold and dormant, green covers tucked, and turned up just so. Hilda’s handiwork.  
A smile crept onto the corners of her mouth and threatened to appear. No matter how long it had been now, since the two sisters had shared a room, the amount of care that Hilda exhibited was still somewhat astounding. Almost every morning, Zelda still woke to a cup of hot tea, a warm breakfast, plenty of food in the cupboards, books on the shelves, a safe haven for their niece, just how Edward would have wanted it to be. Just perfect.  
   
Zelda went to her closet, and pulled a soft blue robe out of the folds of fabric that were crammed into the small space. It was an old robe, she was fully aware of that, yet with the argument still lingering in her thoughts, she needed something nostalgic. Something she could cling onto, something that wouldn’t make her think of, well. Anything. The best thing to have on her mind would be nothing, and as much as the brandy was starting to make her thoughts soft around the edges, she wasn’t in the mood for real emotions, true feelings; whatever they were. Once the robe was settled snugly around her body, and her hair was coiffed up into its usual rollers for while she slept, Zelda pursed her lips, and sighed deeply.  
“I suppose.” she said softly,  
“It wouldn’t hurt to go and see Hilda... just for ten minutes... to catch up.”  
She stood up, and glanced at herself in the mirror, nodding succinctly, before heading to the door, down the hallway, and rapping her knuckles sharply against the polished oak.  
“Hilda?” she called out softly,  
“Can I come in?” The sound of swift movements could be heard, and a hushing sound, before a sleepy, yet dishevelled Hilda poked her head around the doorframe, leaving it mainly closed.  
“Zelds!” she exclaimed,  
“What a... pleasant surprise!” She smiled warmly, and Zelda felt her heart go a little softer for her younger sister.  
“I was wondering if we could... talk?” her voice trailed off, and she fiddled with her necklace; the same one she always wore, silver chain and stars, and looked at Hilda hopefully.  
“Please?”  
Hilda huffed, and almost opened the door to let Zelda in, but then stopped.  
“I’m kind of in the middle of doing something right now?” she said unconvincingly,  
“Can it not wait until morning Zelds?”  
Zelda rubbed the spot between her eyebrows and sighed in a slightly irritated manner.  
“I suppose it can wait, if it really must.” She turned on her heel as if to go back to her room, but cast one more fleeting glance in her sister’s direction.  
“Your mirrors haven’t been getting any weird black smudges in them, have they? Like hair almost, and then little floating blue orbs?”  
Hilda shook her head, and looked at her as if she belonged in a madhouse.  
“Nothing of the sort.” she uttered, smiling warmly at Zelda and closing the door.  
“Nothing of the sort at all.”  
   
The elder sister sighed- yes, she knew her little Hilda was probably screwing around with that awfully ugly mortal bookshop owner, but then again. Her opinion on men didn’t really matter, for she wasn’t really much of a fan of them in the first place. It wasn’t her job to tell her sister what to do and what not to do. Her problems could wait until morning, so long as Hilds was happy.  
   
Once she was sat on the edge of her bed once more, Zelda felt that... feeling in her stomach again, and let her body fall still, her cold and put together exterior gone. She crumbled, leaning deep into her well stuffed pillows, and let herself fall. Tears streaked down her cheeks, and her breathing was short, quick, not even close to regular, why, she could barely even breathe. This feeling hadn’t come over her for a long while, not at least since she told Edward and Diana to go to that conference together and they never came home. A witch deserved a breakdown every couple of centuries, she thought, her face still hidden and her eyes still overflowing. There were only so many prayers to the Dark Lord that could ever result in happiness or overall fulfilment, and she supposed the most recent ones had been hopeless anyway. She’d killed Hilda a few too many times recently to merit any sort of reward. Although, there was one last little sliver of hope in her mind- one more thing to try before she gave up hope altogether.  
   
Zelda fell to her knees on the floor, and cast a simple circle, before tucking her head down, and clasping her hands in prayer, her candles flickering as she started to speak in a soft and melodical voice.  
“Oh Lilith,” she murmured,  
“Mother of demons. If you hear me now, hear my words, my prayer, send me a sign, anything at all, let me know my whole life isn’t going to hell. Let me see how something could go right. Praise Satan.” She dismissed the circle, and silence fell over the room, the candles flickering brightly once more, and her soul at peace. Zelda fell into bed, tired, overworked, and her body giving up. With a light breath, she muttered “excinctus”, and the candles went out, leaving the room black, save for the two blue orbs she saw in the mirror just before she drifted off.  
   
Over the way and through the woods, Mary Wardwell was looking in her bedroom vanity mirror, and had watched the whole spectacle unfold, and now watching Zelda’s peaceful face after she had prayed to her. A fleeting smile played at the corners of Mary’s mouth, and she kissed her forefinger, laying it to the glass and letting the sleeping picture of the redhead fade, soon to be gone. She ran one hand through her thick, black hair, and inhaled calmly.  
“Oh Spellman...” she said to herself, dancing her fingers across the dresser as if she was writing a letter,  
“I’m sure I can figure something out...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again angels!  
> My wonderful Spellman group chat talked me into another chapter today, so, bon apetit! I hope this chapter, even if a little sad, makes you happy, and I promise the next chapter will have some more action, and some kisses.  
> Love,  
> t xx


	3. Green Enveloped Cursive

The next morning, the sun shone placidly over the horizon bathing everything in a soft pink and yellow filter, and once Zelda awoke, she could already hear her sister bustling about in the kitchen below. She groaned and rolled over in bed, her hair now messy and not in its curlers quite as tightly as the night beforehand. Hell forbid she ever got to sleep in past eight these days- Hilda was such an early riser, and it irked her to no extent; she could count how many times she’d been woken by the sound of a saucepan being dropped onto the floor.

As she stumbled down the stairs and lit her first of many cigarettes, she was immediately greeted with a warm, tight hug from her sister.  
“Good morning love!” Hilda exclaimed, sliding Zelda a plate of... something,  
“Did you sleep alright?” The elder sister rolled her eyes dramatically and glared at Hilda.  
“Frankly, I would have slept much better if someone hadn’t woken me at such an unholy hour!”  
Hilda sighed in a dejected manner and tutted, the words didn’t mean anything, Zee was half asleep and it was like this basically every morning.  
“Sabrina and Ambrose have already left for the academy, love.” she said, her joyful manner making a return once more,  
“And I’m popping out in a little while to see Cee. A letter came for you by the way.” She handed Zelda a soft green envelope covered with a scrawling font.  
“Not sure who it’s from though, I can’t recognise, let alone read that awful of a scripture!”  
Zelda snatched the envelope and stood up, eyeing the style of writing that she’d seen scrawled across her niece’s civics homework far too often for it to be comfortable.  
“I’ll beg of you not to pry into my personal matters next time, Hilda!” she snapped,  
“Besides, regardless of how important this may turn out to be, you’re excommunicated! If it’s from the Church of the Night, then it won’t apply to you no matter what!” She swore for a second, that Hilda’s bottom lip started to tremble, but as soon as it was there, it was gone.  
“Fine.” she huffed.  
“Suit yourself.” With that, she grabbed her duffel coat, and exited out the front door, only to leave Zelda in her much-desired peace and quiet once again.

Zelda sighed, and using her nail, carefully slit open the envelope, already knowing exactly who’s handwriting she would find, exactly who’s signature would be scrawled messily across the page’s end.  
‘Zelda’ the letter read, and the ginger slipped on her glasses as to be able to read the chaos with a little more ease.  
‘I owe you an apology, I believe, at least it would seem that way. I take a short lunch break from work at about 11:45, if you would care to meet me, we could perhaps grab a bite and talk. Sort out our differences. I hope to see you, yet I understand if you cannot make it.  
Signed, Mary Wardwell.’  
Zelda scoffed and sipped her miniature cup of tea. This woman really thought that lunch would make it up to her? Of all apologies, she had received in her near 500 years, this truly was a fine specimen. She glanced at the clock which hung on the parlour wall. It was only 10:45, if she really wanted to, she could go, and be at Baxter High for about midday- make that damned woman wait a while, see how she liked it. Zelda nodded to herself. That’s exactly what she’d do.

Not so long after, Zelda stood glaring at her closet, one hand pressed delicately to her brow. As much as she hated to admit it, the other woman was always ridiculously well dressed and looked perfect, and for once, Zelda wanted to show her up, look even better. After a little while, she had chosen her outfit: a simple yet tight black pencil skirt, and a deep blue shirt with a neat, square neckline, which framed her collarbones and star necklace just so. It was, she supposed, a little more scandalous than usual, yet that was okay. There was only one chance you got to make a second first impression.  
She smoothed on a mediocre amount of makeup; pale eyeshadow and a little bit of eyeliner, a flick of mascara and a careful application of her trademark Armani lipstick, and with one last flick of her finger to set any powder, she was done.  
“Perfect!” she exclaimed out loud,  
“I really don’t look all that bad.” She took a glance at her stockinged feet and sighed, pushing the flats she’d chosen back onto the shoe rack. There really was no reason to be so boring all the time, especially when she was going to lunch with someone who, most of the time, looked like she was fresh off of a catwalk of sorts.

A quick sort through her closet resulted in the finding of a pair of black stiletto heels that Sabrina had led her to believe she had lost long ago.  
“Praise Satan!” she exclaimed, gazing at the three inches of heel and shining black snakeskin,  
“I knew I had to still have these somewhere, they’re vintage for hell’s sake!”  
She sat down daintily on the floor and slipped them on, pleased to find that even after a couple of decades without being worn, the shoes were as comfortable as ever, and still fitted like a glove, if a glove was pointed, shining, or added an extra boost to her height. She stood back up and dusted off her skirt, careful to remove any remaining grey smudges from the floor, now, there was only one thing left to do, and it was so routine now, it only took her a few minutes.  
Her hands danced swiftly through her hair, and Zelda pulled out all the little blue rolls of foam. Once they were all gone, she bounced each curl with her hand, and made sure they were all perfect, all equal, and that they looked just as good as usual. She knew it would be far easier to fix her look with magic each morning; it would be quicker, result in a less uncomfortable night’s sleep, and the spell was really very simple, yet habitually overruled practicality, so there she was, doing the same thing every morning, no matter what anyone tried to tell her.

With a last fluff of her hair, Zelda stepped out of the bedroom, and went downstairs, grabbing her purse, and pulling on a long, beige trench coat, leaving it undone and glancing in the mirror once more. She could’ve sworn there was a blue orb floating in the glass, but when she touched it, it rippled softly, and disappeared.   
“I’ve really got to look into that!” she muttered, fixing her hair one last time before stepping out the door and locking up the mortuary,  
“I guess I’m just going utterly insane.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, hello darlings welcome to chapter three!  
> All I can say, is I’m sorry this is sooooo slow burn, but hey, the next chapter basically includes a date, so let me off.  
> I assume you’ve figured out the blue orbs by now? Yes no maybe?  
> Love,   
> t xx


	4. Less Tea, More Magic

It was 12:01, and although it was still only just after their allocated meeting time, Zelda was leaning against the entrance to Baxter High, and starting to get bored of waiting for Mary to decide to show up. The damned woman was perfectly able to be on time whenever she wasn’t needed, yet when she was doling out invitations and around asking people to lunch, she didn’t seem to exist! She rubbed her fingers together, and quickly lit a cigarette, the lone one she had found in her pocket, and utter luck that she had even one. The gilt case was at home, along with the rest of her smoking essentials- utterly useless and annoyingly forgotten. After placing the cigarette on her perfect lips, Zelda exhaled softly and let the smoke swirl up in a satisfying manner before starting to talk under her breath.  
“The audacity of it.” she muttered bitterly,  
“The barefaced audacity of it.” There was a sound of shoes clicking, and suddenly an all too familiar voice entered Zelda’s ears.  
“The audacity of what, exactly, Ms Spellman...?” Smoking on school grounds?” Zelda rolled her eyes.  
“Mary.” she murmured, her face stone cold,  
“Thank you so kindly for deciding to join me on this fine afternoon.” The brunette laughed softly.  
“You’re more than welcome.” Her eyes slid over Zelda,  
“And you look... wonderful.” The ginger couldn’t help but smile- a compliment was a rather big deal from this woman, and it was enthralling to hear sweet words be uttered from her shining red lips. She stole a glance at Mary’s own outfit and her heart leapt a little in her chest; skin-tight red dress, and a long leather jacket with a slit up the side- almost verging on inappropriate but not quite. She focused her gaze back onto the ruby red lips.  
“You look utterly... sinful.” she said, the smile still tugging at the corners of her mouth,  
“Now, are you planning on staring at me for an hour, or shall we go to lunch, get this whole ordeal over with?” Mary blushed ever so slightly, and tore her gaze away from the other witch, taking a step away from the school and out to the street.  
“Sounds good.” she said, glancing back at Zelda,  
“You coming? It’d be a terrible shame to waste all our time here... talking... as much as I seem to like your voice...”  
   
Around fifteen minutes later, Zelda and Mary were sat across from one another in a spotless booth, situated in Greendale’s less popular diner, and their knees were brushing ever so slightly. Mary slipped off her leather jacket, and cupping her hand under her chin, looked at Zelda with her piercing blue eyes.  
“This isn’t one of my usual haunts...” she laughed, her eyes sparkling ever so slightly,  
“Yet it’s pretty peaceful, I thought it would do for a quick lunch, unless, you’d rather just... eat something later?”  
Zelda tugged off her own jacket and looked at Mary.  
“No, no.” she said softly,  
“I can eat now, I’m bloody starved.” She looked at the other woman’s eyes for a second, those deep, blue eyes, that were shining pools of rippling ocean azurity. Sweet, endless... but she was bought back to a bittersweet reality by Mary gently tapping her hand.  
“Are you a little lost, Ms Spellman?” she said softly, passing Zelda a mug of mint tea,  
“Do my eyes intrigue you?” Her hand returned to her chin, and a smiled played across her lips as she waited for Zelda to respond. The redhead sipped her tea and rolled her eyes in a playful manner.  
“Maybe I am lost.” She stated, swirling her mug and playing with the tiny silver ring on her pinkie finger,  
“But I only came today for one reason, and not because I was bored.” Mary tilted her head like a confused cat, and Zelda spoke up again.  
“I want answers, Mary Wardwell, and I want the truth.” She lowered her voice.  
“I know there’s something about you that’s magical, why, I’m 99% sure. I just can’t put my damned finger on what it is exactly.”  
   
Mary reached for Zelda’s hand, and quickly clicked her fingers. Like a flash, they were suddenly seated in the folds of Mary’s couch, in her cottage in the woods. Zelda faltered for a second, and pulled her hand out of Mary’s gentle grip.  
“Hell.” she muttered in an unamused manner,  
“Now I’m sure, but who on earth are you?”  
Mary laughed pleasantly, a tinkling glass sound that sent little shivers up Zelda’s spine.  
“I’m Mary Wardwell...” she said,  
“Or something- Edward asked me to keep an eye on darling ‘Brina... maybe get rid of Faustus too, but that’s irrelevant.”  
Zelda’s eyes flew ablaze with sparkling hellfire.  
“Edward...” she said, her voice breaking slightly,  
“He said...?” Mary nodded, and passed Zelda a small glass of brandy: triple, no ice.  
“Figured you’d end up needing this, no matter if I told you or not, darling.” Zelda took the liquor gratefully, and held it between her shaking hands, transfixed on Mary.  
“So you’re a...” she trailed off, and Mary picked up the rest of the sentence.  
“Witch. Yes, and so are you, what of it if I am as well, even if you’re not really supposed to know.” Her tone fell a little softer, and her eyes went warm.  
“Really, I’m doing this for your brother.” Zelda nodded reassuringly, and Mary gazed at the Spellman matriarch, usually so put together, but now soft, and sad; missing and mourning her brother, and her own blue eyes filled with a hint of sadness.  
“You’re not supposed to know.” she whispered, her voice almost inaudible,  
“So I may have to...” Zelda held up her finger in protest, and took a sip of her drink.  
“I am strong enough to deal with this, Mary!” she spat,  
“I do not need you intervening and apologising, I don’t need your sadness, and I certainly don’t need you to use a spell to make me forget that requires a kiss to...”  
She was cut of suddenly by Mary’s red lips being pressed softly against her own, in a soft, gentle kiss, strangely, with no magical anterior motive. She was shocked that it felt... right. She closed her eyes and carefully kissed Mary in return, before it hit her head on what she was doing, and she broke away, met with a telling smirk from Mary.  
“What in Satan’s name!?” she started, but Mary cut her off and ran her thumb carefully along the edge of Zelda’s mouth.  
“Red isn’t so much your colour as it is mine.” she said with a smile, and Zelda just gazed at her, at those magnetic blue eyes.  
   
A second later, their lips were together again, fiery red against soft blush Armani, and the kiss this time was hungrier, deeper, more passionate than the previous one, a clash of tongues and teeth, both witches trying their level best to gain control over the other.  
   
Zelda broke away again, and rested her hand on Mary’s knee, leaning in close and trying to sort her now smudged lipstick.  
“This is... quite the situation.” she murmured softly, glancing at the grandfather clock,  
“And not that I’m not enjoying this, but... I should get going. Can I... call later?” Mary nodded, and watched as the ginger gathered up her personal belongings, and went to the door. At the last moment before she left, Mary got up, and called out after her.  
“I think you should know, that your life is going to get better, and that, well. I enchanted your mirrors. All of them.”  
Zelda turned around and cracked a smile, cigarette already on her now slightly reddened lips.  
“I know...” she murmured, opening the door.  
“I can see your eyes through the glass half of the time.” With one last chuckle and a sweet smile, Zelda was gone, and Mary was left alone, a smile playing on her lips, and the feeling of love tight in her chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, for the second time today!   
> Writing this chapter really made my whole heart soft, so after a little consideration and a lot of staring at my computer, I decided to post it.   
> Love,   
> t. xx


	5. Almond Cookies

When Zelda damn near skipped into the kitchen and smiled at her sister, Hilda was taken by utter surprise.  
“You seem strangely happy, sister!” she exclaimed, taking in Zelda’s flushed cheeks, smudged lipstick and ridiculously wide smile.  
“What’ve you been up to then Zelds?” Zelda was silent for a moment, thinking about those blue eyes, and trying to formulate a legitimate response, just as Ambrose decided to saunter into the kitchen.  
“I believe” he said,  
“She did was is commonly referred to as quote unquote, getting some.” Zelda gasped in almost faux surprise.  
“I most certainly did NOT, Ambrose, what an uncouth idea!” She poured herself a measure of brandy out of the drinks cabinet, and went to the foot of the stairs.  
“I’m simply happy with life, that is all: I’ll be up in my room if any of you decide to come up with further insults to my womanhood.” With that, she went up the stairs, and the sound of a slamming door, followed by soft piano music off Zelda’s favourite record filled the house. Ambrose looked fleetingly at Hilda who gave him an accusatory glare.  
“Auntie Zee definitely got something... and it wasn’t just mad at Sabrina for once!”

Up in her room, Zelda kicked off her now uncomfortable heels, and absently peered into the mirror above her dressing table, peering at it through her upper lashes. The shining glass was glossy and plainly reflecting the sombre room, no ripples of magic, or scenes from the life of the brunette that she had kissed only hours before. She sighed in a somewhat defeated and disappointed manner, and sat down opposite the glass to watch her own reflection carefully take pins out of her perfect ginger curls, and gazing at the shining surface, as if willing it to show her what she really desired, and after about ten minutes, it finally did. A smooth, silken picture of Mary rippled into a clear focus, using the mirror from the woman’s parlour that she happened to have noticed earlier. She smiled softly, and rested her hand softly underneath her chin; like this, unless Mary happened to notice she was being watched, Zelda could view her for as long as she desired. A win win situation.

Mary was busy, trying to carry on with the mortal life that the original Ms Wardwell had once lived, and was fully engrossed in making soft, almond cookies from an old German recipe she found in the kitchen drawer. Her overly voluminous hair was up in a messy bun, and her tight dress was sprinkled with a smattering of flour. A record player was churning out Sinatra in the corner of the room, and Mary leant on the counter for a moment to catch her breath- how anyone could make this many cookies without passing out, especially as a mortal, was beyond her realm of understanding. Their lives still confused her everyday thoughts, and it was a little hilarious, she had to admit, to see their constant struggle and misunderstanding. The record player’s crooning came to a soft close, and Mary slid the tray of crescent moon shapes into the oven and stopped momentarily to survey the mess of a room she was in. Flour coated the worktops, and there were bags of ingredients everywhere, and of course- a sink piled high with washing up.  
“Marvellous.” said Mary, her voice picking up a slightly sarcastic tone,  
“Bloody marvellous.” Tidying up bored her wholly, and she also knew full well that it would result in her crying, and a broken nail or two, which didn’t make her very, enamoured by the idea. A little thought crossed her mind, and she laughed.  
“I suppose I could just...” she clicked her tongue and a smile set on her lips. She tapped her red nails on the counter, and murmured some words softly under her breath, and as she moved her eyes over the destruction, it popped, and was gone, no more flour, only the residing scent of marzipan and the feeling of flaking dough on Mary’s fingers. As she washed her hands with the soft cherry soap that she kept downstairs for the kitchen, a smile played across once more. She knew cookies were hard work for a very small outcome, yet here she was, doing it anyway, as so she would have an excuse to visit the Spellman’s house the next morning before work.

At this point, Mary pulled her hair out of its bun, and started to dance slowly around the kitchen, her arms swaying in the air, and her eyes closed in bliss. It felt good to feel free, she thought, singing along to the record and taking a glance at the clock on the wall. Maybe she did like Greendale after all.

Soon, a glass of red wine had her hand around its stem, and the almond moons were on the side, cooling and waiting to be frosted. Halfway through the wine and another song, Mary realised her hair was even messier than usual, and raking a hand through it, she finally kicked off her heels, and stumbled over to the mirror to survey how bad she probably looked. When she reached the mirror, and glanced into its shiny finish, she gasped playfully in faux shock at the familiar face staring back at her, now in a rather flustered manner.  
“Sister Spellman...” she drawled,  
“What an unexpected, yet somewhat foreshadowed surprise!”  
The ginger avoided Mary’s piercing eye contact and looked away from the glass for a moment.  
“You know.” she said softly, almost inaudiably,  
“It’s not what you’d think.”  
Mary laughed a smooth, velvety laugh.  
“Of course it’s not Ms Spellman. When is it ever?” she paused for a second.  
“You just happened to have synchronised your mirror to mine, and have been watching me make cookies this whole evening- obviously, an armature accident.”  
Zelda shook her head and finally looked at Mary through the mirror, her green eyes awash with emotion, yet a wave of calm washed over her.   
“You do it to me often enough.” her cool tone was noticeable, and Mary felt daggers in her gut. She had only meant to be accusatory, not to irritate Zelda.  
A flash of wistfulness fell across Zelda’s brow, and Mary noticed, thinking of how close their faces had been only hours earlier.  
“I can tell what you’re thinking...” she drawled, playing with a strand of her dark hair, and Zelda froze up.  
“No you can’t.” she said, her voice soft,  
“That’s an invasion of privacy, for satan’s sake, grow up!”  
Mary laughed once more.  
“Oh Zelda. Oh sweet, Oh sweet Zelda.” She placed her forefinger upon the mirror, making Zelda’s view shimmer, and start to fade.  
“No!” exclaimed Zelda, and she put her own finger on the glass, trying to get the image to stay,  
“You can’t just...” she gasped as suddenly, her skin was touching Mary’s, and Mary was climbing carefully through the rippling space that seemed to connect them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there angels!  
> This chapter is, not my best, yet I really needed to find a way to get Mary back over to Zelda’s, and I thought this was a little cute, and lent me to know more about Mary as a writer.   
> Feel free to leave comments and kudos!  
> Love,   
> t xx


	6. What Is Love..?

Mary perched herself upon the edge of the dresser, Zelda still sat in front of the mirror with a perplexed look settled across her brow.  
“What in satan’s name?” she cried out,  
“How the hell did you-” she was cut off by Mary gently pressing a finger to her lips, and looking at her thoughtfully, as if carefully choosing the right words to say.  
“I could explain exactly how I did it, Ms Spellman.” she drawled, letting her finger wander and trace the outline of Zelda’s pale pink lips.  
“Yet I don’t think it would do me any favours, I already know full well you’re not my biggest fan, so let’s just say... I’m more powerful than I may seem... much more powerful...”

She hopped off the dresser and paced silently around the room while Zelda watched her intently. Due to the magic, her dress clung to her curves a little tighter than usual, and her hair even more rugged. Zelda stood up and walked over to her, her back as straight as a poker, and her face stone cold.  
“I have no idea what’s going on.” she said, her voice quavering slightly, and her lips in a thin line,  
“But I shall ask you once, and only once, to get out.” she crossed her arms and Mary took a fleeting glance at the other witch’s chest. As usual in the evenings, Zelda looked amazing- soft curls, thin nightdresses and minimal makeup... utterly divine. A little pout came upon Mary’s lips.  
“And what if I don’t want to leave?” she drawled,  
“What if I want to show you something first?” Zelda huffed, and kept her arms crossed as both a physical and metaphorical barrier.  
“Unless it’s exactly how you enchanted those mirrors, Ms Wardwell” she spat,  
“I don’t particularly want to know, and I most certainly do not care, so if you could just-” She was cut off by a pair of red lips being pressed softly to her own, and two hands cupped her face gently, making sure to kiss her just so, with those two lips she had been daydreaming about for the last while. Mary’s lips tasted of cherries, of sweet vodka martinis, and most importantly, of magic. Complete and utter magic.  
Zelda pulled back from the kiss breathlessly, and gazed down at Mary, who without her heels was a good inch shorter than her. Those blue eyes crinkled at the corners into the most perfect smile, the blue orbs alight with a sprinkling of hellfire and love.  
“Can you show me that again...?” she asked softly, burying her head into the crevice between Mary’s neck and shoulder.  
“Please.”

It was only seconds later that the two witches were kissing hungrily again- Mary had Zelda softly around her petite waist, and as they stumbled across the room, she kept her pink lips on the red jewels that she loved so dearly. It was funny really, she thought to herself as she fell onto the bed, Mary close to her, kissing her neck and playing with her ginger curls; the people you hate the most, usually end up becoming those who you adore with all your soul. She faltered for a second and froze, Mary pulling her close and into her chest. Did she love Mary? She gazed at her for a second. There was plenty to love, for sure, the hair, the figure she had, and those faultless blue eyes. Maybe she did love her, maybe she didn’t. Only time would tell.

Zelda felt Mary pull her even closer, and soon kisses were tickling down her jawline and chin.  
“Penny dreadful for your thoughts, Zelds...?” she asked, her voice soft and fluttery in the ginger’s ear. Zelda turned so their faces were together.  
“Do you believe in love at first sight?” she murmured, reaching out to smooth one of Mary’s messy curls,  
“Or do you believe that love is irregular and stupid?” She felt Mary take a sharp intake of breath.  
“The false God tells us that love is frivolous and fast. Pointless.” she said, her features unreadable.  
“Yet deep down, I think all souls have one ultimate connection, one love that they need, until the end of time. One fire. There is sometimes only one thing that can quell a fire, a blazing inferno, and love works as water. Tell two people love isn’t real and they’ll get mad, they’ll curse, but I think we all know how it is.” Zelda nodded for her to go on.  
“Love fulfils a heart, and makes life worth living, and love quenches the thirst for enamourment, it quenches the desire, it sometimes even hurts so much it helps. Love is a treasure, Ms Spellman.” A smile grazed Zelda’s lips and she carefully kissed Mary.  
“I wish I knew what that was.” she said softly,  
“They say you haven’t lived if you haven’t loved, and well. Faustus was never love.” Mary tugged at the tie of Zelda’s robe.  
“Then let me help you live.” she said almost under her breath.  
“Please.”

What felt like only seconds later, Mary had Zelda’s robe off, and was kissing a soft trail of kisses down her stomach- butterfly kisses she had called them, because they were gentle, and made people’s heart flutter. Zelda’s heart was fluttering right there and then, and her eyes were closed in a soft kind of bliss, Mary covering her in little red lipstick marks, and finally coming to a gentle peck on the very inside of her thighs. Zelda bit her lip to supress a breathy moan, and Mary immediately noticed her shivers. She paused her kissing for a second, and lay back with Zelda curled into her arms.  
“Have you ever...” she murmured, kissing Zelda’s neck gently, and nibbling just enough to leave a slight bruise until her lipstick had worn off.  
“Been with a woman before?” asked Zelda curiously, finishing the brunette’s sentence with ease,  
“Once or twice, yes. I didn’t get to almost 500 without dabbling in every pool I could, Mary. We both know I have a refined taste though...” she trailed off, letting her fingers entwine in Mary’s hair, and smiled at her lovingly.  
“What does it matter to you?”  
Mary supressed a laugh, and hooked her fingers into the delicate lace around Zelda’s hips.  
“It doesn’t really...” she said, voice barely above a whisper,  
“I was just curious as to if you’d react to, or be okay with, well... this.” Without a further word, Mary quickly pulled Zelda’s panties down and plunged her perfectly manicured fingers into the ginger witch’s core, and got a loud, throaty moan in response.

Zelda tightened her grip in Mary’s hair, and clasped her body around the two fingers that were already making her heart beat faster.  
“I am more than okay with this” she whispered, and Mary started to pump her fingers softly, while Zelda shivered under her touch, massaging the innermost pulse points of her body,  
“I am 100% okay with this.” She glanced at Mary, who’s usually placid blue eyes had been taken over with a look of complete and devout hunger.  
“That’s good...” she mumbled, plunging her fingers deeper and adding another,  
“So you don’t mind if I just...” She put her head down to join her fingers, and started to flick her tongue against Zelda’s clit, teasing her, making her moan like a guttural animal. By this point, Zelda had a firm hold on the bedframe, and her hips were reacting like they had a mind of their own, and her mouth, no matter how much she tried to keep it closed, wouldn’t stop giving away her pleasure with moans. With a final serpent-like lick, Mary sent Zelda tumbling over the edge, to a place of pure ecstasy.

Mary resurfaced from between the ginger’s thighs, and smiled as if she hadn’t been the one to extract the sounds of total pleasure from Zelda.  
“Hey there stranger...” she murmured, her voice full of passion and lust,  
“Miss me?” she hooked her glistening fingers into her mouth and slowly sucked them clean,  
“You seemed...” The ginger re-wrapped her robe and rolled into a surprised Mary’s arms, which were consequently wrapped around her.  
“I was... free.” Zelda whispered into the soft folds of Mary’s hair,  
“I felt free.” she carefully kissed Mary’s neck and stayed close to her, making sure that everything was still a perfect utopia, a magical reality.  
“And your tongue is almost demonic...” Mary froze, and Zelda looked at her with wide open eyes.  
“Did I say something wrong?” she asked sleepily, the late night finally hitting her, no longer high, but soft and down to earth. Mary shook her head,  
“You said nothing wrong. So long as you’re happy, then all is wonderful.” Zelda smiled, and pulled the covers up over their two bodies, cuddling close to Mary and gently kissing her cheek.  
“I... love you.” she said, her voice no more than a breath of air. Mary sighed softly and kissed Zelda’s forehead, noticing that she was already breathing evenly, and had fallen aslumber.  
“I love you too.” she murmured, getting ready for another night of no sleep, knowing that, as much as she wanted to, she wouldn’t fall asleep next to the utter angel she was holding close. Demons didn’t need sleep, she reminded herself, it was just a nicety that was allowed once in a blue moon, if she really needed it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey again angels,  
> I won’t be able to upload this weekend, so here we have it... what you’ve been waiting for- I think.   
> Slow burn is no longer quite so slow...  
> Love,   
> t xx  
> p.s. comments are more than welcome ;)


	7. Calling Noted

When Zelda awoke in the early hours of the morning, the last night came flooding back to her, and she rolled over, hoping to still be in Mary’s arms, but, she wasn’t. A single leaf of paper lay folded on the nightstand, and Zelda sat up with a reluctant sigh, cursing at how utterly freezing it was. She grabbed the paper off the side, and unfolded it carefully, making sure to smooth out the creases and looked over the scrawling font, wondering where the hell Mary had found a pen so early, especially seeing as there were usually none floating around her bedroom. A gentle smile crossed her lips as she read the words.  
‘Dearest Zelda.’ read the note,  
‘Last night was utterly divine, however, I have work, and have had to leave you early- I apologize. I’ve taken one of your dresses, and borrowed some lipstick, hence, you’ll have to see me again to get them back. Give me a call. (472) 666-6783. À bientôt, M.”  
Zelda sighed amorously, god, it was like being young and in love again for the first time, her heart melting when she so much as let Mary wander through her thoughts. A silly little blush crept over her cheeks, and glancing at the clock, she was astounded to realise that it was almost ten. This was by far, the latest she had slept in years, and still her heart just wouldn’t settle in her chest.  
“I think I love Mary.” she murmured to herself, playing with the soft and delicate curls that had formed around her ears.  
“I love Mary Wardwell.” She stumbled over to her closet, and looked through thoughtfully, noting how Mary just happened to have taken her favourite dress; deep blue with a high neck, lace trim, and a well-fitting bodice even on her. She could barely even imagine how completely sinful it looked on her... lover, how the fabric would cling too tight in all the right places. A low moan escaped her lips, and she was suddenly thankful that no one else was home, especially Ambrose, he seemed to have a sixth sense for when people had had sex.

Zelda slipped on a simple black dress and lifted up her hair to survey her neck, ravishing at the soft blue-grey bruises that the other woman had left behind, already missing he feeling of teeth and lips on her neck, reminiscing in her thoughts of the candlelit night which had slipped away all too quickly.

Her hand reached for Mary’s note, and she read it over again, her whole body and soul fighting not to just grab the phone off her dresser, to call the woman who set her whole body aflame. Did she actually mean, call her? thought the ginger as she smoothed on a fresh coat of overpriced Armani makeup, sometimes people just left their phone numbers to be polite and courteous but frankly, this time Zelda wasn’t so certain if that was the case. Her fingers danced over to the phone, and she turned the rotary cautiously, pausing for a good minute between each spin and number.  
“Get it together Zelda!” she snapped at herself, the last number now keyed in, and her hand still clamping the receiver down.  
“You are going to call this woman, no matter what feelings she may or may not have- you’ll never figure out if you don’t just ask, for satan’s sake!” She pulled up the phone and held it to her ear anxiously as the dialling tone sounded, the noise ringing, and ringing, until finally, there was a click, and the sugary velvet of Mary’s voice filled Zelda’s ear.  
“Mary Wardwell, civics ten.” she drawled, her voice already clearly conveying her boredom, even though she had no idea who was calling,  
“Who is this? Can I get a name?”  
Zelda smiled softly and held the phone close to her ear.  
“So you really left me your office number, not your mobile? What is this? The 1970’s?” There was a lengthy pause, and Zelda tapped the phone harshly, wondering if the call had simply gone cold or disconnected, until Mary spoke again, all sense of professionalism now gone from her tone  
“I was hoping that you’d call...” she purred, her voice breathy,  
“Did you miss me or something?” Zelda played with the stars on her necklace, glad that this wasn’t a face to face conversation. Mary had hit the nail right on the head.  
“Or something.” replied Zelda,  
“Are you busy right now?” she heard Mary’s laughter trickle down the line like shards of broken crystal.  
“Well, yes.” she almost whispered, her voice light and full of lust,  
“I do have a job, Ms Spellman...” Zelda smiled.  
“Dinner’s at seven, you know our address.” She could basically hear Mary smiling down the phone, and her heart fluttered like a caged bird.  
“I’d be more than happy to join you.” murmured Mary, and with that, Zelda carefully replaced the phone in its cradle, and glanced once more at the clock. Seven couldn’t come fast enough; she just wanted to see Mary in that dress, to kiss those red lips, for the hellfire in her core to be quenched.

She went downstairs humming Black Magic Woman under her breath, and quickly magicked up a pot of tea and with the newest copy of Nouvelle Réunion in her hands, went and perched in her favourite armchair, ready to devour the latest gossip of ratty Frenchmen and their awful ways. She had just opened to the very first page, when all of a sudden, the doorbell rang loudly, followed by knocks in a quick succession, causing a chill to run down her spine. She had a feeling that she knew exactly who it was, and although she was only just coming down from the high Mary had left her on, she knew that this man would spoil her mood something rotten. Still. She reminded herself, getting up and going anxiously to the door, you couldn’t just leave the High Priest standing on your doorstep. She smoothed her hair, and pulled open the door, plastering on a fake smile.  
“Father Blackwood!” she said, her voice too high and her face too glamoured,  
“What brings you to this neck of the woods on a Tuesday evening?” It was too early in the Imbolic period for him to be there for any reason, hence she was rather confused.  
“I have some... news” he said, eyeing Zelda up and down, yet still managing to look soulless and give her a stony-faced glare.  
“You may want to let me in, sister Spellman. It’s not good.” A frown crossed Zelda’s brow, and she opened the door a little wider, ushering the man inside out of the snow. Taking his coat and hanging it up so it could dry, she walked into the parlour, her heels clacking on the flagstones.  
“I suppose I should get some tea. Do take a seat.”

By the time the two were seated across from one another in armchairs in front of a roaring fire, Zelda was beginning to become impatient. It was very unlike Faustus to be this secretive about some kind of misdemeanour, and something would have to be done, even if she couldn’t tell what. His glamour was too well perfected, and too strong.  
“So...” she started, her voice low and quiet,  
“What’s all this about, Father Blackwood?” she eyed him cautiously as he tapped his long nails on the arm of the chair, and it took Zelda back to the time when they used to be an... item. She shuddered at the thought- men ought to burn in Hell, the only one she cared about currently was Mary. She smiled softly at the thought as Faustus began to speak.  
“We have a... problem.” he said gravely, his voice a mere whisper and his eyes piercing though Zelda with a yellow glare.  
“I believe we may have a demon... or demoness in our midst.” Zelda gasped. This was a nightmare of hers. She knew that, from experience that demons could either be relatively sweet, or plague with sinful horrors, sent directly from the dark lord himself to gain vengeance. A cold shiver slid through her gut, and she finally forced herself to make eye contact with the man.  
“And you came to tell me, because?”  
“We believe it is more than likely to be related to an incident regarding your niece. Again.” He stood up and put his tea aside, circling Zelda like a hungry shark, as if he would pounce any second.  
“I’m sure you’re fully able to deal with the demon, sister Spellman, you’re a competent witch.” with that, he left the room, and a second later, he had stridden out of the house, his coat billowing out behind him.  
Zelda was aghast. Of course, it was going to be the fault of her bloody niece, why, Sabrina was always meddling in ghastly affairs and just like that, her good mood had gone sour.

She pulled out the scrap of paper which had Mary’s number on and keyed it into the older phone that hung on the hallway wall, waiting anxiously as the phone didn’t stop ringing, the noise echoing through her head. She leant on the wall, her heart racing. Why wasn’t Mary answering? The call failed to go through, and Zelda fell prey to an automated voicemail. She sighed in a pained manner.  
“It’s me again.” she said softly, brushing her hair back behind her ear anxiously,  
“Don’t come to dinner tonight, Sabrina has some things to explain, and it’s... it’s probably for the best that you’re not here. I hope to see you soon.” with that, she slammed the phone back onto the hold, and stormed into the kitchen, lighting a cigarette and taking a substantial drag. Sabrina would have all hell to deal with tonight, she thought, her mind ticking loudly; her niece wouldn’t be getting any special treatment from her tonight, satan forbid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey darlings!  
> I’m sooooo sorry for the long wait, this chapter took a lot of editing, and a lot of typing up, hence why it’s been three days... I’ll try and be faster next time!  
> Love,  
> T. xxx


	8. Dinnertables and Demons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was really hoping I wouldn’t have to ever say this, but TRIGGER WARNING FOR MENTION OF SELF HARM.   
> I love you all. ✨

It was already about seven in the evening when Sabrina finally came barrelling through the front door into the relatively quiet house, a whirlwind of blonde hair, red dress and Salem trotting along by her heels.  
“Aunties?” she called out, her voice echoing through the mortuary and bouncing off the tiled floor,  
“Are you home?” she paced through the hallways and went from room to room, searching around to find her aunts. The kitchen was empty, and the room with the corpses was vacant save the body on the table. Eventually, she found them sat at the dining room table, their arms folded and Zelda’s face cold, and her lips pursed in a thin line, eyes devout of any character or light.  
“Take a seat, love.” said Hilda softly, her voice all too quiet, and her eyes looking down to her lap avoiding looking at Zelda for fear of spending another night in the cairn pit- an unfavourable end to an already lengthy day.

Sabrina pulled out a chair and sat down, her youthful face covered in concern and confusion, and Zelda glaring at her at her all the while, both brows furrowed out of sheer annoyance and irritability.  
“I cancelled a dinner to be here, and it’s already later than I was hoping. Let’s get this over and done with, because satan knows I’ve already been through hell and back today.” Zelda sighed softly, and Hilda looked at her with pity clouding her eyes. It was true. After Faustus had left and confused her by his visit, she had broken down on the sofa and cried, long and heavy; her makeup running and eyes going puffy and red. No matter how well she thought Sabrina was doing, there was always something, always something hidden under a perfect blanket of lies, fabricated around her and wrapped like wool. The strip of tanned leather had made a reappearance for the first time in months, and had roped fire across her back in lashes, leaving behind red welts, which would harden into fierce looking scars. Hilda had arrived home the, and ushered her into a milk bath immediately, tears threatening to form in both their eyes. Even sat in the dining room with the pain now less, both sisters knew the scars were still going to be under Zelda’s dress when she changed again later, and neither of them wanted to talk about it. That was one rule they had always had; whenever Zelda’s state slipped, they never mentioned it, never talked about it. That was beside the point though.

Zelda slipped back into reality, and shifted in her chair so that her scarred back didn’t touch the grainy slats of the backboard.  
“Father Blackwood called around this afternoon.” she said, her voice clipping around all the vowels,  
“He told me some shocking news, and I’m pretty sure you already know what it is.”  
Sabrina looked back at her blankly, her face the puritan definition of confusion. Both sisters were affixing her with an icy glare, and a shiver ran cold and solid down her spine. Zelda stood in a pained manner, and went to the drinks cabinet to pour herself a measure of brandy over ice, before returning to her seat at the head of the table. She looked down her nose at Sabrina.  
“So?” she asked,  
“What do you have to say for yourself?”  
Sabrina shifted in her seat uncomfortably. There were many things crossing through her mind that could have been the cause of this now awkward conversation, yet her aunts shouldn’t know about any of them, seeing as she had covered her tracks so carefully. The witches glared at her more harshly, and she finally cracked.  
“Fine!” she exclaimed,  
“But that was one time, and you know how much I struggle with herbology, why does the Academy matter so much anyway!?” Hilda gasped, yet Zelda remained unphased, digging her nails into the soft skin of her palm.  
“That’s not what we are referring to, young lady.” she hissed, the pain across her back amounting to a horrifying level with every breath she took.  
“Faustus told us there was a demon loose in Greendale, and he’s blaming you- it’s your fault, again!” Sabrina’s eyes went wide, and after picking up her drink and downing it, Zelda slammed the crystalline glass back down onto the table, her eyes full of fire.   
“I want an explanation.” she demanded, watching Sabrina quiver under her glare,  
“And I want it right now, young lady, so start talking.” Sabrina looked Zelda dead in the eye.  
“The demoness.” she said bitterly, her voice filled with teenage angst,  
“Was already here. Just because Lilith appeared in my dreams, not yours, Auntie Zee, doesn’t mean that it’s my fault that she’s running loose through Greendale, infact, she’s thriving!” she paused to take a breath, and then spoke up again, her voice as sharp as nails.  
“And just because you’re jealous of my magic abilities, even though you’re 600 and I’m 16, doesn’t mean you have to make up some pity tale about the high priest coming to see you about me! Like he cares anyway, he’d care more if you were actually my mother!”  
Zelda reeled back as if she had been slapped, and Hilda finally spoke up, watching cautiously as Zelda filled, drunk and refilled her drink, and lit a cigarette, puffing it anxiously.  
“You are NEVER to speak to Zelda like that again, you hear me!?” she exclaimed, her voice holding steady regardless of her heart pounding in her chest.  
“Go to your room and stay there until you learn some bloody manners!” Sabrina smirked and stood up, not saying a word, but casting glances full of hate at both of her parental figures.

As soon as Sabrina was out of earshot, Zelda stubbed out her cigarette and let her façade fall. She crumbled into Hilda’s arms and wept, Hilda gently caressing her back and holding her so she could feel safe. When her sister finally resurfaced for air, Hilda let her go, and passed her a new glass or brandy and a tissue, letting her have a moment to compose herself and carefully reapply her glamour, until all of a sudden she looked perfectly normal again. She ran a hand through her curls and stood up shakily.  
“I thought I raised her better.” she said, her voice cracking as she grabbed her jacket and cigarette case.  
“I can barely believe her. I’m going out.”  
Hilda raised an eyebrow in question, but didn’t say a word. Zelda was already emotional and had alcohol in her system; Hilda knew when to stay quiet, it was one of her better traits. With that, Zelda left, calling out for her sister to not wait up.

Satan only knew how long this would take, she thought to herself as she trudged through the deep snow and ice that had formed into crisp peaks throughout the day. She just hoped that she was doing the right thing going to see the woman who lived in that bleak cottage, and that she would be at least half happy to have the ginger witch show up on her doorstep, especially after the cancelled promise of dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okayyy angels!  
> Chapter eight was a wild ride for me to write as I was so busy all day, but I managed to get it up anyway!   
> Thank you for 1000+ hits!!   
> Love,  
> t. Xx


	9. Sky Diamonds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is so soft, and I love writing my babes like this... that’s all! ✨

Mary was halfway through a glass of deep red wine when she heard a rapid knocking at the glass paned front door. Her heart was a little down still from finding Zelda’s voicemail about the cancelled dinner, so as soon as she had arrived home, she’d slipped off her six-inch heels, and perused the house from top to bottom to find some alcohol, ready to spend yet another evening draped across the chaise lounge with a romance novel, drinking alone. She stood up reluctantly, and walked slowly to the door, fixing up her voluminous hair with one hand, and reaching into her robe to quickly fix her cleavage. She had no idea who it could be at an hour this late, but one thing was for sure. If it was that idiot of a man, Principal Hawthorne, she’d woo him inside, and then feast on his bloodied mortal flesh. He didn’t deserve so much as the time of day. When she reached the door, she placed one perfectly manicured hand of crimson nails onto the doorknob, and paused momentarily so she could lean seductively against the doorframe, jutting her hip out at such an angle to accentuate her curves just so.  
“God, men’ll do anything to get into my pants!” she said with a soft laugh, opening the door ever so slightly and running one finger through the curl that had made its way into her eyes, yet keeping her gaze under lowered lashes,  
“How can I help you...?” There was no gruff, male reply, and Mary looked up, surprised, to see a soaked, crying Zelda Spellman on her front doorstep. A slight pain jolted through her heart. She immediately opened the door wider, and ushered Zelda inside, into the warm. She carefully took Zelda’s shawl, which was soaked through, and hung it onto the radiator in the hall to dry, the heat augmenting with a flick of her finger. Neither of them said a word, and Mary simply wrapped her fingers around Zelda’s cold hand, rubbing her palm and staying silent, letting even her simple presence start to calm the other witch. She was overcome with need to wrap her arms around Zelda tightly, to let her be held and supported, no matter how black Mary knew her heart truly was. With a flick of her hand, the front door flew closed, and she lead the ginger into the parlour, where a roaring fire lay set in the grate. They sat carefully down onto the faded red chaise, and Mary opened her mouth to speak; she had so many questions, so many things she could say, yet she couldn’t bring herself to say a word, and Zelda simply leant her head into Mary’s shoulder, and her body went still, so Mary wrapped one arm around her affectionately.  
“What happened?’ she said softly,  
“And how much have you drunk? I thought you were supposed to have plans with ‘Brina?”  
Zelda’s eyes iced over and it was then, that Zelda realised something about Mary. She felt as if she could say absolutely anything, and the brunette would listen. Her voice crackled as she began to speak, keeping her head on Mary’s shoulder.  
“Faustus- the high priest, came over, and he blamed Sabrina for a demon- demoness running loose in Greendale. Sabrina lied to me, and screamed at me. Told me I wasn’t her mother, which, I know!” her voice went soft, and Mary looked at her with blue eyes filled only with love and concern.  
“You’ll have to speak up, dear...” she said softly, her voice full of honey, and Zelda made weak eye contact with her.  
“I did something stupid.” she muttered, melting back into Mary’s arms. Mary had no words, and simply held the redhead close as she cried, her tears seeping through the silk of her robe, letting her cry and cry until there was nothing left. She sat up carefully, and shifted her weight off of Mary, but still stayed close to her.  
“I’m sorry you have to see me like this.” she murmured softly,  
“Usually I’m okay after a stiff brandy or two, but it just didn’t seem to work tonight.” she gazed at Mary, who was watching her intently.  
“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to offer you a glass of wine, Ms Spellman?” she asked, her voice like velvet,  
“Or maybe something a little stronger if you need.” she chuckled,  
“I think I have some vodka somewhere, if you need a little more fun!” Zelda was forced to hold back a laugh- Mary would be a great hostess, she was frightfully bubbly, and always looked the part too. Zelda stood and absently wandered into the kitchen and taking a cookie off the side, popping it into her mouth.  
“I’ll drink whatever you have!” she smiled at Mary, who was busy trying to find two matching wine glasses.  
“You don’t mind if I stay a little while, do you?” Mary filled both glasses to the brim with red wine and came back over to Zelda with a smile playing across her sinfully red lips. She passed Zelda the glass, and gently kissed her cheek.  
“Stay as long as you need to.” she held up her glass and carefully clinked it to Zelda’s own.  
“Give yourself a little break, relax.” she extended her hand, and the ginger took it carefully.  
“I think I have some copies of Global News somewhere.” she smiled.  
“Let’s settle down on the sofa, do some crosswords and forget this whole conundrum ever happened.”

A few hours later, Zelda was still sat on the couch, leaning into Mary, both of them puzzling over the final clue for Mondial’s “Five Letter Fridays”. Zelda had drunk significantly more wine than usual, and was more than a little tipsy- her gaze kept wandering to Mary’s borderline scandalous robe, and her pale and exposed leg.  
“So?” she asked, her voice light and tipsy,   
“What’s a five-letter word for sky diamonds...?”  
Mary stifled a laugh, and Zelda leant into her shoulder once again, her red hair falling across her face, fiddling with the pen and clearly not thinking about the clues at all. Mary knew this, and found herself thinking about how everything about Zelda was still so new and enthralling to her; from the exact shade of her crazy ginger curls, her green eyes and full lips, even the little necklace she wore each day, that covered her neck in a constellation of tiny stars. Mary reached out and ran her fingers across the delicate silver, and let her lips wander close to the other woman’s ear.  
“How about stars...” she murmured. She watched as Zelda filled in the tiny boxes with her sloping scripture, and how her face lit up once she was done.  
“You finished it!” she laughed,  
“I did!” replied Mary,  
“And now surely I should get a reward!” she was expecting Zelda to laugh, brush her comment off and reply somewhat sarcastically, even to simply get up and leave, but to her great surprise, Zelda leant over and kissed her fleetingly on the lips. Mary nearly moaned, for in those fleeting seconds, she could taste the wine, the blood, the flavour of her counterpart. When Zelda broke away, she was smiling, and Mary bit her lip. She really could teach this lover a lesson, she thought- do her good and leave her craving more? Her heart leapt in her chest, even just looking at Zelda sitting in the glow of the firelight, with her soft lipstick and rose perfume; driving Mary up the wall with every second they spent together. One more kiss wouldn’t hurt... right?

Moments later, Mary had Zelda underneath her on the couch, her dress off and flung somewhere across the room and on a lampshade, dimming the room to a soft blue glow, to only be found at a later hour. Her hands were entangled in the crazy ginger curls, and she was kissing Zelda harshly, their tongues fighting a losing battle. She broke away momentarily, and kissed a breathy trail down Zelda’s stomach, enjoying the moans she was extracting from her; exactly where she wanted to be. Her hands caressed the ginger’s hips, and she traced patterns across her lace underwear line fighting the urge to just dig her fingers into Zelda. God, how she wanted to hear the breathy screams, but tonight, the undoing had to be done slowly, carefully, with both her mouth and fingers touching tender, soft skin, teasing, playing a game she knew all too well that she was good at. She pressed another red lipstick mark between Zelda’s pale thighs, and came up to look in her love’s green eyes, which were tilted back in ecstasy as she moaned. Mary pressed a kiss gently to her soft lips, and her eyes fluttered.  
“Hurry up and do something!” she hissed, not out of hatred but out of desire,  
“You got started so you’d better not bloody stop...” Mary kept her lips on Zelda’s and let her hand wander to between the legs of her woman, and pressed two fingers to the soaking fabric. She shifted slightly, as to start something she knew she’d have to finish, and Zelda yelped, not in pleasure but pain. Mary sat up carefully, and moved her weight off of Zelda, her once hungry face now full of terror.  
“What did I do?” she asked quietly,  
“Tell me and I’ll be more careful next time, I promise, I really do.” she watched as Zelda’s green eyes pooled with tears.  
“It’s not you. At all.” Zelda whispered,  
“My back, I- I can’t.” she trailed off, and Mary watched as she turned onto her front. Mary felt a gasp escape her lips. Her fingers went straight to the scarred tissue and welts, and her throat ran dry.  
“Who the hell did this to you.” she asked, pressing her cool fingers to each scar and muttering magic under her breath, the strongest magic she knew.  
“I’ll kill them, I’ll kill them and send them to the pit to burn, I swear to Satan.” Zelda turned back over, and sighed, pulling her knees up to her chest.  
“Me.” she said quietly, too softly,  
“It was me.” she avoided Mary’s gaze, and stared into her lap. She was pretty sure Mary would hate her now, everyone else did when they found out; they upped and left like there was no tomorrow. They all always ended up leaving. It was to her utmost surprise that Mary stayed with her on the couch, and wrapped her arms around her, and then a blanket over the both of them, so they were lain together under the soft grey wool. Mary moved slightly, and Zelda immediately lay down and got closer into her, moving so their skin was touching. A finger moved one of her ginger curls out of the way, and Zelda felt the brunette press a soft, sad kiss into her neck.  
“It’s okay.” she muttered softly, as Zelda started to relax, and her breathing slowed to a steady rate, her head buried in Mary’s chest. She kept her lips close to Zelda’s neck, kissing it gently until she was sure the other witch was asleep in her arms.  
“It’s all okay, and I’m here. I will always be here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well...   
> That was a long chapter, way longer than I had expected it to be, but I really enjoyed writing it, and I hope you enjoyed reading it!   
> Feel free (as always) to leave kudos and comments.  
> Love,  
> T xx


	10. Keys To Closed Doors

Zelda awoke groggy and disoriented, the smell of lavender and witch-hazel utterly overwhelming, her head feeling fogged by such scents that she hadn’t appreciated for so long. The sun which was filtering in through the windows was far too bright for early on a midweek morning, and Zelda shifted her weight to be less uncomfortable on the lumpy mattress she had fallen aslumber on. She turned over, and groaned in annoyance, her whole being overcome with the desire to sleep longer, yet instead she was confronted by a familiar pair of red lips. The owner of these lips was now of no surprise to her, and as the last night came flooding back to her, she became surprisingly content with her current position, and gently snuggled closer into the arms that were already wrapped loosely around her. She pressed her head into Mary’s neck, and inhaled deeply, letting the scents of bittersweet perfume fill her lungs, the undertones of vanilla just perfect; subtle but still completely there. She placed a gentle kiss on the brunette’s neck, and in but a moment, Mary’s perfect blue eyes had fluttered open and were sparkling back at her.  
“Good morning.” whispered Zelda quietly, her face still hidden in the voluminous curls that she loved so much, her lips glancing off of Mary’s delicate and pale neck as she spoke. The brunette stretched slightly, and a smile played across her still perfect lips.  
“Very good morning indeed...” she almost laughed, moving over slightly to give her ginger beauty more room on the couch. She tugged the blanket tighter around them, and gazed at Zelda, who was the sleepy epitome of perfection, seemingly glowing in the early morning sunlight. Her hair seemed even more full of magic than usual, the red gleaming and glistening like a ray of its own light, and Mary couldn’t help but stare, the horrors of Zelda’s day beforehand all forgotten. Mary kissed her love fleetingly, and glanced at the clock that lay ticking incessantly on the mantelpiece, keeping the other witch close. 7:40? She’d gotten two hours more sleep than ever before, but that also ended up meaning...  
“shit!” she sat up, and her blood ran cold,  
“I’m supposed to be in homeroom!”  
She stood quickly, leaving a flustered Zelda under the blankets, watching her pace the room.  
“Home what?” she asked, watching as Mary pulled on a pair of stiletto heels and tried her level best to compose herself before turning back to Zelda.  
“Homeroom.” she said breathily,  
“School, my work, my job! I’m going to be late for Lucifer’s sake!”

Zelda stood and wrapped her arms around the other witch, the blanket still wrapped around her almost nude body, and her voice became soft and loving.  
“Calm down for five seconds, you can’t go to work in a silken robe...” A laugh threatened to pass her lips, and Mary cracked a smile, and noted that yes, she was still in her green robe. She cursed under her breath, and sighed. She didn’t really have the time today, to compile a perfect outfit, and she certainly couldn’t go out and teach a bunch of hormonal teenage boys wearing something quite so scandalous. As if she could read Mary’s mind, a glimmer of magic passed through Zelda’s green eyes, and her aura crackled with electricity.  
“Hold still.” she said mysteriously, and Mary knew she was up to something, just was unsure what, which was unusual. The mother of demons usually knew exactly what was going on at all time, just not today, she supposed. She watched in awe as Zelda flicked her fingers a few times, and uttered some Latin under her breath, until her robe was gone and had been replaced by a tight bordeuax dress, cut similar, if not better than all the other ones she owned. Her heels were still firmly on her feet, and her makeup sinfully perfect. As Zelda retrieved her own dress off of the lamp it had been thrown onto, Mary smiled thankfully, and spoke up properly for the first time that morning.  
“You look amazing.” her voice was soft and honest, and when Zelda had her dress on, she turned around and ran a hand through her glowing, curled hair whilst her eyes met Mary’s own.  
“You really think so...?” she asked, and returned her body to the other woman’s side, leaning into her chest softly, and swaying to the gentle birdsong that made its way in through the open window, the bright winter sunshine bouncing off of the snow and giving everything a magical glow. Mary smiled tenderly and pressed a soft kiss to the redhead’s brow.  
“Yes darling.” she said quietly,  
“Though, can I ask you a favour?”  
Zelda stopped swaying and tilted her head to look at Mary curiously,  
“It depends upon what it is?”, she asked with a sweet smile,  
“Surely you should be off to work by now? Not that I’m rushing you...”  
Mary went to pick up her bag, and laughed nervously, holding out a pair of keys to Zelda.  
“It’s far too late to walk in.” she sighed,  
“And I never... well, I never learnt to drive. I was wondering if you could...” she trailed off and laughed out loud, pressing a kiss to Mary’s lips, not being able to withhold another giggle. Mary pushed her carefully up against the closed door, and kissed her deeply, tangling her fingers in the ginger hair that she loved. When she broke away, they were both short of breath, and Zelda opened the door, slipping on a pair of Mary’s shorter heels and walking down the steps to Mary’s ancient station wagon. She spun the keys on her finger, and unlocked the door, and climbed in the driver side, watching as Mary locked up the house and then climbed in to join her. The car took a couple of attempts to start, but when it did, they set off down the gravelly track, the woodland passing swiftly behind them.

Zelda reached her hand across the centre console, and gently entwined her fingers with Mary’s, both their rings they each wore clinking together, and her fingers massaging the palm of Mary’s delicate hand.  
“To Baxter High!” she exclaimed, her voice dripping with faux enthusiasm, and Mary laughed softly, not saying a word, and simply gazing at Zelda, her face content and in love. The two drove hand in hand for miles, and eventually Mary spoke up.  
“Thank you, for everything.” she said quietly, and as the car came to a halt outside the brick built school, Zelda cracked a smile.  
“I should really be thanking you.” she muttered, and took Mary’s face between her palms to kiss her.  
“Off you go.” she said reluctantly,  
“Want to come by for dinner later?”  
Mary opened the door and stepped out into the snow, her dark hair catching the snowflakes and turning her into even more of a work of art than she already was.  
“I wouldn’t rather have dinner anywhere else.” she smiled, and then she was gone, leaving Zelda sat in a car that wasn’t her own, and craving the company of a single dark haired demoness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO SORRY darlings!  
> I’ve been so busy, and this chapter has been drafted for so long, but I just haven’t had a chance to type it up... whoops.  
> I love you all so much, thank you for 1500+ hits, and all the kudos!  
> All my love,  
> T xx


	11. Demonology Over Breakfast

Starting up the car once more after Mary’s figure had been completely lost by the crowds of teens, Zelda drove away from the school, winding down the window and letting the winter sunshine and tiniest of snowflakes weave through her red hair. The day was already cool, but not quite as Arctic as it had been in previous weeks, and the faintest glimmer of the spring that was soon to be there could be felt in the air. A smile passed across Zelda’s lips, and settled itself there, and she felt nothing but pure joy flood her body; she was truly happy, for the first time in a long while- all down to Mary. Her thoughts started to move unprecedentedly quickly, and she turned on the radio, humming along to the catchy jazz tunes that filled her mind, and thinking solely of the future she and Mary could, no, would have together. Long, lazy afternoons filled with laughter and cups of tea, hand holding and hugs, sitting together and reading her cherished foreign language newspapers and doing crosswords as they had the night before. Zelda couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. Satan knows she wasn’t ever this soft-hearted, why, no women had gotten to her in such a way since the late 1600’s, yet here she was: absolutely smitten with the local excomunicatee and schoolteacher of mortal children, planning out their future life together in her head.

Eventually, after a little while of driving along the winding country roads, the Spellman mortuary came into view, and up the bumpy track Zelda drove, bringing the car to a halt outside. She knew that, really, she should return the vehicle to Mary’s cottage and leave it there, yet she felt a sweet connection to having her love’s car in the drive of her own house. Mary’s sweet perfume had mingled in the air, and her scent filled the car when Zelda wound the window back up, the lavender and witch-hazel and all matter of other scents so sinfully good that Zelda sighed blissfully. The whole vehicle seemed to be littered with an astounding number of the brunette’s personal artefacts, considering that she didn’t drive it. There were mint wrappers and a pair of delicate sunglasses in the cupholder, and a pair of the woman’s signature heels were flung carelessly onto the back seat. A soft grey sweater filled one corner of the passenger footwell, and Zelda picked it up and inhaled the gentle perfume and scent of the other woman’s body that it emitted. Shrugging it on over her own dress, she climbed out the car, and closed the door quietly. She had a feeling that Hilda would of course be awake, yet with an already overactive mind, she wasn’t in the mood to deal with unnecessary and prying questions... her good mood was there to stay for once, and there was nothing anyone could do or say to change that!

Pushing open the front door to the mortuary, Zelda was met by the scent of pancakes, and the unmistakable smell of frying bacon. She waltzed into the kitchen with a smile on her face, and the shorter blonde sister looked at her in surprise.  
“Are you only just getting back in, Zelds?” she asked, her hands already on the always hot teapot, and within a second, a cup of steaming mint tea was in Zelda’s hands, warming her from the outside in.  
“You know, I did tell you not to wait up!” Zelda said with a soft laugh, looking at Hilda appreciatively and wrapping her hands around the green mug,  
“Admittedly, yes, I am only just getting in... what’s cooking?”  
Hilda moved to the side to reveal that Zelda’s suspicions of bacon and pancakes had been correct, and Zelda couldn’t help but smile again, toss her red hair out of her face and gently kissed Hilda on the cheek, a sign of sisterly love and affection.  
“I’ll go shower, and then I’ll come straight back down and eat.” she said happily, and pulled her sister into a tight, caring embrace,  
“You’re the best.”  
Hilda made a face and watched as Zelda wandered away to the foot of the stairs, the light scent of lavender fresh in the air behind her. There was a certain familiarity to the smell, yet Hilda couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was. All she knew was she had definitely smelt it before; recently at that, and that Zelda had gone out somewhere that was familiar to the both of them, and come back happier than she had been in centuries, especially taking the whole Faustus/demoness/Sabrina situation into hand.  
“Hey Zelds?” she called out after her, one hand placed on her hip and her face awash with care,  
“You look surprisingly happy.”  
Zelda glanced back at her sister, and her features only held contentment, none of the usual smirking and spiteful side-eye that she usually gave.  
“I’m not so bad.” she replied, a laugh threatening to escape her lips, her heart still full of the brunette’s beauty and tenderness,  
“Not so bad at all.”

When Zelda reappeared downstairs but half an hour later, both Ambrose and Sabrina were sat at the table, tucking into stacked piles of pancakes, and Hilda herself was just sitting down too. For once, Sabrina met her aunt with a smile.  
“Auntie Zee...?” she said quietly,  
“I’m sorry for speaking to you like that yesterday.”  
Zelda looked at her niece carefully. She seemed sincerely sorry, and her heart melted further than it already had that day. She took a seat and took Sabrina’s hand, rubbing it gently with her thumb.  
“Don’t worry about it too much.” she said lovingly,  
“Just don’t let it happen again... are we clear?”  
Sabrina cracked into a smile.  
“Crystal clear!” she exclaimed, turning away and going back to her pancakes. A moment later, she turned back and glanced at what Zelda was wearing: the grey sweater and a simple pair of black dress pants. Sabrina’s eyebrow raised in curiosity, and she tapped Ambrose on the shoulder.  
“Hey Auntie Zee?” she asked,  
“Where’d you get that sweater?”  
A pink blush spread across Zelda’s cheeks, and she avoided her niece and nephew’s eye contact.  
“This old thing?” she said with a laugh, taking a sip of her tea,  
“Why, I’ve had it for ages- I simply felt like dressing down for once, you know how life is!” Ambrose eyed her suspiciously, and whispered something into Sabrina’s ear.  
“I could have sworn Ms Wardwell has one just like it!” the young girl exclaimed, and Zelda immediately acted like she was ridiculously impressed by the plate of food that was set infront of her. She spiked a pancake with her fork and folded it into her mouth. Sabrina noted her silence, and pushed her own food around her plate.  
“Aunt Zelda...?”  
Zelda looked up from her plate, and smiled at Sabrina, her usual smirk and air of superiority making a quick return.  
“Of what matter is it to you, if your darling civics teacher and I happen to have a perhaps, somewhat similar item of clothing?” she asked, her voice lathe with sarcasm.  
“Surely you should be focusing on your studies rather than the clothes Ms Wardwell happens to be wearing?” she adjusted the hem of the offending sweater, and let the soft perfume and laundry detergent calm her down- this was no time to be snapping at her niece and souring her pretty much perfect mood. Sabrina nodded at her aunt, and picked up her fork once more, letting the conversation linger off into nothing. Hilda quickly filled the silence by pouring each of the Spellmans another cut of piping hot herbal tea, and Zelda snatched up the foreign newspaper which lay in the basket in the middle of the table. It was the Russian Enquirer, one of her favourites, and she unfolded the thin paper, anticipating the words of her favourite Russe journalists. As soon as she was delving into the first words, Sabrina took that as her cue to start speaking once more, breaking the peace and quiet.  
“Soooooo...” she drew out the word in a singsong voice, and Zelda looked over the top of her newspaper in an annoyed manner.  
“Yes, Sabrina?” she asked,  
“What’s the matter this time?” she put down her newspaper and folded it half-heartedly, picking her tea back up and sipping it. Sabrina grinned at her and piped up with words that Zelda did not want to deal with at such an early hour;  
“Have you heard any more from Faustus...”  
Zelda glared at her and the young girl quickly corrected her naming,  
“The high priest, about the demoness? Lilith to be precise!”  
Zelda slammed down her teacup with such force it was a surprise that the bone china didn’t shatter. Her eyes flew aflame with hellfire.  
“I believe.” she said bitterly,  
“We were done with that subject.”  
Sabrina sighed, and turned back to her breakfast, muttering under her breath, and Zelda pressed her forefinger the bridge of her nose.  
“Let’s leave that matter in Father Blackwood’s capable hands, love.” said Hilda softly, and Zelda stood up, cradling her cup of tea, and utterly ready to leave this conversation.  
“Yes, let’s best leave it to Faustus.” she spat, and turned on her heel, leaving the room, before turning back at the last second.  
“I shall be in the library, if you need utter more nonsense at me.” she said in a sing-song voice,  
“And Sabrina, get going to the Academy; you seem to be forgetting you have class today.”  
With that, she exited the room, leaving Sabrina to jump out of her chair and scrabble to get her belongings together.

The rest of the day passed relatively quietly, and Zelda spent most of it with a cup of tea by her side, flicking through demonology books to try and figure out Greendale’s current situation. As much as she knew that it would be best to leave this as Faustus’ problem, she wasn’t going to; she knew all too well that he would do nothing about it, and that Lilith, or whoever it was would be plaguing them unless she were to do something about it. Her mind, however, was not so content on focusing on the centuries old books, and with the scent of Mary still surrounding her in a sweet bubble, and the cashmere was soft and warm against her skin. A smile had not left her lips all day, and she did wonder what the other woman was up to, with all those mortals that she seemed to despise so much. A sigh escaped her lips as the miniature grandfather clock on the wall struck the hour. She glanced at it fleetingly, and noted how the hour was three. Sabrina had always mentioned how Baxter high ended at three-fifteen, and Zelda stood up from the couch, and closed her books. Demonology could wait a little longer, and necromancy would have to wait even longer. She was going to pick her... girfriend? up from work, and there was nothing anyone could say, or do, to stop her.

By the time Zelda had gotten Mary’s station wagon started, and began to drive along the dirt tracks to the main road the school was on, it was already a-ten-past-three, and she still hoped she would be able to surprise Mary by turning up to drive her home; then they could have dinner together, and be just... together. The roads started to fill with a little more traffic, and after a while, Zelda saw the school roll into view, with students spilling out and climbing into those yellow busses that she always saw everywhere. Her neice, obviously, was at the Academy, but Zelda rolled down the window and waved primly at Harvey, who was bundled inside a thick jacket to avoid the bitter wind that had just picked up. She pulled the car up to the school gates, and reached for her phone, a smile on her lips. She cut the engine, and dialed Mary’s number, putting her on speakerphone so that when she finally answered, her voice filled the car.  
“Yes, Zee?” she said in a breathy voice, her words seeming full of stress from the day,  
“What’s happened? Did you learn anything about that demoness?”  
Zelda raised an eyebrow to herself; she didn’t recall mentioning Lilith to Mary but, that was fine, she really didn’t mind.  
“No luck finding out anything at all!” she said in an exasperated manner,  
“That’s not why I called though, I’m outside the gates if you wanted a ride home? I’ve got your car still.” she laughed, and Mary did too, sounding somewhat relieved.  
“Of course.” she said softly,  
“I’ll gather up my papers, and I’ll be right out.” she paused for a second, and just as Zelda was about to hang up, she spoke up again.  
“I love you.”  
Zelda broke out smiling, and laughed gently.  
“Oh, I love you too.” she replied, and then cut off the call, stuffing her phone into the pocket of her trousers and fixing the sun visor so the late winter light wasn’t in her eyes quite so brightly. A large scrap of folded paper fell onto her lap, and Zelda picked it up cautiously, wondering what it was.

There was a careful pentagram drawn in the upper left corner, and an official print in the right, in a red ink that Zelda hadn’t seen in years. She unfolded the paper fully, and a frown set itself across her delicate brow. She read it once, twice, three times, and then once again more. This was not something she had expected to find in Mary’s car, at all, and she held one hand to her forehead.  
“Fuck.” she whispered, all traces of happiness gone from her aura and self. A letter, from the Dark Lord. Written in blood red ink, addressed to none other than Lilith. The demoness Lilith. A low, sharp sound fell from Zelda’s lips, and she rested her head on the steering wheel.  
“No.” she heard herself whisper,  
“No, no, no. This isn’t, can’t be right!” a shiver made its way along her spine, and suddenly, everything made sense. The interest in Sabrina signing the book of the beast, the suspicious air about her demonology reading, the quizzical eyebrow when she bought up Lilith and mortal possession; the comforting. It all made sense.  
“She’s Lilith.” said Zelda quietly.  
“She’s Lilith.”

All of a sudden, there was a sharp rap at the passenger side window, and Mary opened the door to climb into the car, immediately leaning across to kiss Zelda on the cheek. Zelda stayed frozen in her seat, and Mary quickly noticed the letter that lay in her lap. She sighed quietly, and closed the door, hoping that Zelda hadn’t put two and two together.  
“It’s not what you think, Zee, hear me out.”  
Zelda turned to her, tears in her eyes, but her voice stony.  
“It’s Ms Spellman to you, Lilith.” she said cooly, her voice cracking slightly.  
“Dear Satan you have some explanations to make.” her voice shook more, and a tear fell onto her cheek. Lilith leant over to brush it away with a soft knuckle, but Zelda grabbed her by the wrist.  
“Don’t. Don’t touch me.” she said.  
“Just talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay first off I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG TO WRITE I didn’t pre-draft, and it’s basically a mini-fic in itself... whoops?   
> Reminder to Mar that I love her and she’s my greatest inspiration.  
> Love, T xx


End file.
